B4's first run

 

 

Summer evenings are great. I can go to railway club, and have a sail beforehand. Or, if have a new loco to try on the outside track, I can do that instead. You won't be surprised that I was keen to try the B4 out!

A nice extra with the model, is this little carrying cradle. Simple, but it makes moving the loco around really easy, especially when it's hot.

I'll admit, I didn't read the instructions, but most steam engines work the same way. Once I've turned the gas valve off, I managed to fill the tank, then oil around, fill the lubricator and then add water. 

Lighting was tricky as there was a bit of a breeze, and it took half-a-dozen goes to get the flame at the back of the loco and not in the smokebox. Once I managed this, the safety valve didn't take long to start blowing, and I eased the model forward. There was a bit of priming, and some muck chucked out of the chimney, but we were soon off. 

And that was it. With the regulator only cracked open, a nice speed was achieved. Hanging a train on the back will help keep things under control even more. 

A few lessons/jobs:

• The pressure gauge is broken, showing 110psi when the loco is cold. Hopefully, this is a spanners job to fix. 
• The gas must be opened a very tiny amount, and it's not easy to control. I'm told melting bits on the front of the loco is a possibility if you leave it turned up to high. 
• Long term, I will look at a sleeve on the burner, which would be a better solution. 
• The reverser is a fiddle, you need pliers to move it. That's the prototype's fault, not the model. I'm intrigued how RC can be fitted though. 
• I need a vacuum pipe for the front.  

Overall though, I'm very happy with my new toy. Like every steam engine, this is a learning curve, but I've had it running, so my growing steam experience has helped.